


Such a Tease

by musikurt



Series: A Macmillan Family Christmas [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-05
Updated: 2012-11-05
Packaged: 2017-11-18 00:57:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/555114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikurt/pseuds/musikurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ernie decided to check in with Justin before heading to bed and underscored the value of their friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such a Tease

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired in part by a Twitter RP that takes place in a Harry Potter AU.

Ernie walked into the guest room and sat on the edge of the bed. They had spent some time playing card with his parents, and had just come upstairs to get ready for bed. Justin was facing the closet, selecting a t-shirt. He picked a gray one with the Hufflepuff crest on the front and pulled it over his head. Taking a seat next to Ernie on the bed, he smiled and patted his leg.

"Thank you again for coming," Ernie said, returning his smile.

"Happy to do it," Justin replied. "Though, to be honest, you could have handled this all without me. You're parents have been great."

Ernie nodded. "I could have, but it still wouldn't have felt right. You helped me at the beginning and this is really the last big step."

"Your parents are really proud of you." Justin turned his head to stare out the window. "This is going to sound a bit silly, but I think I somewhat expected your parents to be different."

"In what way?"

Justin was quiet for a moment as he tried to put it into words. "Not necessarily them specifically, but I guess I had a notion that magical parents might be different than Muggle ones. But now that I say it out loud, it's completely ridiculous."

"I don't think it's ridiculous at all. In fact, there are some magical parents who are incredibly eccentric. I expect some Muggle parents are, as well, but you can easily imagine how those eccentricities might manifest with magic at one's disposal." Ernie laughed, thinking about old Mrs. Filbret, of the family three houses down. The family had moved to Ernie's neighborhood after almost exposing the magical world in their previous four Muggle neighborhoods. With her insistence on always wearing witch's robes, only speaking Ye Olde English, and openly brewing potions in her backyard, Mrs. Filbret stood out even on an all-magical street.

"I suppose that's true," Justin smiled.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Ernie asked.

"Doesn't your sister arrive in the afternoon?" Justin was looking forward to meeting the last part of Ernie's family.

Ernie shrugged. "Something like that. But we have the whole morning at our disposal. And besides tea and dinner, I don't believe mum expects us to spend the whole day with them. They've quite a bit to catc up on themselves."

"She's really great, you know."

Ernie gave him a puzzled look. "Who?"

"Your mum." Justin shifted so he could better face Ernie. "This afternoon when you were out in the backyard, she showed me how to use some of the charmed kitchen utensils and I showed her a few knitting tips."

"You knit?" Ernie thought he knew all of Justin's secrets.

"My grandmother taught me when I was young, okay?" He could feel Ernie silently judging him in that way that friends did, then quickly forgot about it.

"Oh, it's fine. I just never expected it." Ernie grinned. "You know, she asked me if we were dating."

Justin laughed. "Yes. She told me. And apologized if the idea offended me. I told her I could do far better than the likes of you."

Ernie punched him in the shoulder. "Like I'd even give you the time of day."

"Really, though, I told her it didn't bother me. If I was gay, I hope I'd be proud of it--but that's not who I am. Though people can certainly assume whatever they want."

Ernie smiled. "How has some young Hufflepuff girl not claimed you?"

"Guess I'm just too much for the lot of them." Justin shrugged. He had been on dates with a few girls at school, but none of them just seemed right to him. So much so that there were a few days after Ernie came out to him that he wondered if he might be gay, too. But as he thought about it some more, he knew that women were where his interests truly lie.

"My mother tried to set me up with two different guys when we were out shopping yesterday," Ernie grimaced.

"Two?" Justin bounced twice on the bed. "Does she know any eligible young women or are her matchmaking services for family only?"

Ernie rolled his eyes. "Do you not understand how embarrassing it is?"

"Did she actually take you over to a bloke and introduce you?"

"No," Ernie answered, shaking his head. "It was on the taxi ride home. She tried to get me to go back and ask out the bag boy from the grocer's because he was 'friendly' and therefore obviously interested in me."

Justin started laughing. "Are you sure you didn't lead him on by flirting? You can be quite a tease, Macmillan."

"Says the guy who likes to take off his shirt while I'm around and tries to force me to ogle him."

"Oh, please, it's not like that at all. Besides, pretty sure you just walked in on me without knocking." Justin winked at him.

"It's my house, you know."

"Oh, my apologies. Please, would you like to come in and watch me in the shower tomorrow," Justin responded sarcastically.

Ernie laughed. "See. Tease. Anyway, then passed the neighbors' and their son was out in the yard without a shirt on - and she almost told the taxi driver to stop. It was almost like she expected me to jump out, tackle him, and have a shag right there."

"Was he at least cute?" Justin thought Ernie was overreacting a bit. "Wait. Neighbor? Was that--?"

Ernie nodded. "Haven't talked to him since the morning I left for the start of the term. Who knows what he's been up to since then. But I don't think what we had was serious anyway." Ernie lowered his voice a bit. "He had posters of half-naked witches up in his room. He either was just going through his 'teenage phase' or was so deep in the closet even the best 'accio' couldn't summon him to the door."

"And leave it to you to find him." Justin laughed again.

Ernie nodded. "All the duds, I find them. Especially you."

"Oy, what's wrong with me?"

"Well, for starters, you knit." Ernie picked up a pillow to shield himself from the inevitable tap Justin was sure to land on his shoulder or head.

Justin sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

Ernie set the pillow down and let his grin quickly fade. "Of course. Anything."

"What did your dad say to you while you were out in the yard this afternoon? I glanced out the window and the two of you looked like you were having an intense moment. I understand if it's none of my business, I just-- usually you tell me things and you haven't really said a word about it."

Ernie thought it was a curious question. Justin had a point that he had yet to say anything about his discussion with his father, but they both usually let each other share things on their own terms. The fact that Justin was outright asking made him wonder if there was a reason he should be concerned. "Just how proud he is of me and how much courage it takes to truly be yourself in today's society. Any reason?"

Justin shrugged and stared at the wall for a moment. "He just told me yesterday that he wanted to make sure you knew that he loves you and is proud of you, but he wasn't sure how to really say it. He told me that he wasn't great at sharing his feelings and that the two of you didn't really talk about things like that. I told him to put it to you as simply as he put it to me because, while I know you knew it, I figured it wouldn't hurt for you to hear it again from him."

Ernie put his arms around Justin and gave him a firm hug. "How are you so amazing?" He leaned back and stared him up and down for a moment. "Are you sure you're not-- Even just a little? Because I'd be good to you." He grinned.

"Keep trying, dear, it's never going to happen." Justin leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up and stowing away the clothes he'd worn earlier in the day.

"There goes that teasing thing again," Ernie tapped Justin's arse with his hand as he stood and headed toward the door.

"I do what I can to keep it interesting." He gave Ernie another wink. "Have a good night, Ern."

"You, too, babe." Ernie closed the door and headed toward his own room. He smiled as he considered how truly fortunate he was to have Justin as his friend.


End file.
